Bella Thorne is reminiscing about the early days of her acting career.
During an interview to promote Passes, Thorne, 27, reflected on her time as a Disney Channel star. “One of my favorite memories is me and Zendaya getting really close on the Good Luck Charlie ‘Shake It Up’ episode,” the actress told Us. (Thorne and Zendaya, 28, played CeeCee Jones and Rocky Blue, respectively, in Shake It Up). “We had a struggle in our relationship beforehand with everything and we sat down for, like, two hours on a closed-off set on a different stage and really got personal and one-on-one with each other.”
“That was a really beautiful moment,” Thorne explained. “That’s the first time I remember having that moment with [another] girl, getting able to establish that relationship and be honest with one another and really hear each other’s experiences. That will always be a fun memory.”
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The Euphoria star isn’t the only person Thorne enjoyed spending time with: She also has fond memories with the rest of the cast, including Kenton Duty, Adam Irigoyen and Roshon Fegan. “That was always really, really fun and they were so lovely,” she recalled. “We definitely did have quite a family.”
When Thorne was asked to star in the Disney Channel buddy comedy, which ran for three seasons from 2010 to 2013, she was already starring as Tancy Henrickson on HBO’s Big Love. “They had to make a deal with Disney to take me off,” the Life of a Wannabe Mogul author recalled.
Her time on the drama was also a career highlight: “HBO has a lot of healthy, well-oiled machine sets,” Thorne shared. “I always felt very safe on that set as a kid.”
The late Bill Paxton — who played Tancy’s father, polygamist Bill Henrickson — left an impression on her. “He was incredible and always kept the energy in the room alive,” she told Us. “He was so incredibly nice to all of us children and he totally didn’t have to be.”
Amanda Seyfried was also a bright light on set. “She was amazing and definitely the coolest older sister you could ever have,” Thorne shared of the actress, who played Sarah, Tancy’s sibling. “She would just chat with me in the trailer. I learned a lot from her. She was quite a funky personality.”
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Though Thorne told Us she’d be down for a reunion for both Shake It Up and Big Love, she currently has her hands full. Not only is she busy with her Thorne jewelry line, she’s preparing to film her feature directorial debut, Color Your Hurt, and also engaging with fans on Passes, a social media platform that aligns with her vision of taking ownership of her content.
“I’ve wanted to be in charge of my stuff on social media. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to be myself,” Thorne shared. “I’ve definitely [gone] through some rough patches in my life — some family things, health things, you name it — so to be back on a safer platform where I’m not getting comments that [I] don’t want to see [is helpful].”
“That’s been a struggle for me in the past,” she admitted.
Overall, Thorne, who posts a variety of content, is excited to share a different side of herself on the platform. “It just feels right to connect in a deeper way,” she added, “instead of just being a face of social media.”
